


A Secret Next Door

by Ember_DMG



Category: ENHYPEN (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, Jungwon and Heeseung are brothers, Lying is bad but funny, M/M, Milk carrot, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rich Jake, Rich Jay, Rich Sunghoon, Rich Sunoo, Secret Relationship, SungSeung, Sunghoon and Jay are neighbors, Sunki, jaywon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:28:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28929555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ember_DMG/pseuds/Ember_DMG
Summary: Jungwon and Jay are ready to move in together as a couple. But there's one eeny meanie tiny problem. He still hasn't even told his own brother about his relationship that has been going for some years. It shouldn't be this hard to come clean, but they had made a promise long ago that he intended to keep. Except he didn't, and now he's stuck in a web of lies he'll keep on tangling for who knows how much.Heeseung has always been afraid of what people might think of him, in fact, he's so scared he has kept a secret well-hidden for all of his life. He'll do everything in his power to keep it away from his friends, and especially his dear brother who he wants nothing else but to protect from this cruel world.There's a thing about secrets though. You cannot keep them for too long before everything blows out of proportion.
Relationships: Kim Sunoo/Nishimura Riki | Ni-ki, Lee Heeseung/Park Sunghoon, Park Jongseong | Jay/Yang Jungwon
Comments: 12
Kudos: 92





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Long unnecesary personal commentary ahead unrelated to the story: 
> 
> This is my 3rd Jaywon fic in less than a month, and this is going to be chaptered, but still not a huge one. The only reason why I wanted to add chapters is because I miss writing cliffhangers. I'm really excited to bring this one to life because I seriously love the (fictional) dynamic of HeeWon as brothers. During I-Land era I used to watch the many compilations of "Jungwon is Heeseung's baby" or "Heeseung is Jungwon's favorite hyung" and it just stuck with me. And even in Enhypen&Hi, when JayWon had to do the dishes and Hee just arrived to tease them was just so cute. So, yeah, get ready for another one of these while I prepare for a much bigger story with more angst than fluff.
> 
> And if you come from my previous two stories, just know I read all the comments and love them so much, and I want to reply but I also don't want to increase the comments number on purpose. But seriously, thank you so much to everyone who reads and comments, and to everyone who leaves kudos, and everyone who just enjoys even if not interacting! Thank you because it keeps me motivated to keep writing and improve. Even if the plots are really simple for now, I just hope I get to make you happy for a while. So thank you all for your support. <3 
> 
> Don't foget to vote and stream!!!!!!!!

Not every love story begins with the most amazing anecdote that you can just tell everyone and they would swoon over you thinking it was love at first sight. Unfortunately, for many, finding your special someone doesn’t even get to happen overnight, or because you both felt the same way about each other all the time. Love is so complicated, that you get scared to fall deep, fall down and then fall again. But, to our disgrace, love is the one thing we cannot control and we don’t even have the chance to decide who we fall in love with. But some, the lucky few, get to fall in love with someone who will love them back, love them good, and love them forever.

“Okay, so what’s the surprise? Hyung…!”

“Just a few more steps, and we’ll be there. Just, wait. Okay?”

“Hurry~!”

Holding hands, walking through a corridor, and with a piece of cloth tied around his eyes was not his idea for a fun Saturday afternoon, but can you blame for agreeing so quickly when the love his life asked so excitedly. He didn’t know where they were, or why, all he knew was that the surprise meant a lot for his tiny heart to contain the anxiety of not yet knowing what was about to happen.

After a few more steps they stopped. He tried sniffing around if maybe they were at a restaurant, but all he perceived was the tropical fragrance coming from his boyfriend’s cologne. The blended mixture of coconut oil, pineapple and island plantain. He heard some keys rustling, and then a door opening. His hand got pulled, signaling that they had to start moving again. A few steps forward and he heard the door shutting down behind them. Some button noises and then, a tender kiss on his cheek.

“Okay, we’re here. You can take the blindfold off.”

He was still feeling the rushing heat from that tiny peck while he nervously took off the piece of cloth that covered his eyes. It took him a few seconds to adjust to the strong lights before he paused in awe to the place he was brought to. It wasn’t just a simple place, it looked like one of those things you could only see in a magazine and wonder who could ever afford a place like this anyway.

“Jay, where are we?” he asked nervously. Afraid to even take another step forward and accidentally break anything from this luxurious place.

Jay turned around with a cheeky smile, lifted his eyebrows and said, “You like it? Want to take a guess?”

He didn’t. He felt out of place with his torn jeans and overused shoes, with his jacket he’d be wearing since they met and his wallet with exactly six coins and one bus card. He looked around and wondered if his face was giving away his thoughts as he turned to look at Jay who changed his happy smile to a worried look.

“Wait, what’s wrong?” Jay asked. “Jungwon, you don’t like it? I really thought you would. If you don’t I can keep looking for a better place.”

“No… it’s not– I just… It’s beautiful.”

“I’m exaggerating again, aren’t I? Oh geez…” Jay scoffed, and smiled again, except this time it wasn’t happiness you could see in his eyes. He got close to Jungwon and held him in his arms, leaning his head on the younger’s shoulder, the place he liked the most to just rest and forget about everything.

“You know… it’s funny because if you were dating Sunoo instead he’d say this place is too tiny and you could get a much bigger one.”

“So, is Sunoo still available or–“

He got hit. His arm hurt but he pretended it didn’t, instead shaking his boyfriend in his embrace and laughing together. He knew it was no use showing him the rest of the apartment, so they just left. It was for the best, anyway, as their stomachs growled in request of some food. They kept laughing all the way to the car, deciding over what they should get for dinner this time.

After eating out and shopping at the mall for a while, they decided to call it a day and go back to Jay’s apartment and order dinner there. Jungwon was in the mood for something really spicy so they ordered from his favorite curry restaurant and Jay couldn’t help but fall in love a little bit more at seeing his boyfriend twirl with excitement.

“So, have you told your brother yet?” Jay asked. They were lying down on the floor, staring at the ceiling, waiting for the food to arrive.

“Are you kidding? I haven’t even told him we’re dating yet, let alone we’re going to be moving in together.”

“Do you think we’re rushing?”

“Honestly? At times. But it also feels so natural, you know? Like, we’re supposed to be together anyway.”

Jay felt the same way. Their story isn’t one you could say was all that amazing, or at least, they didn’t feel it as such. Long story short, they met through a dating app a couple years ago. It took them an entire week of chatting day and night to decide they had enough chemistry to go on an actual date. It went well, but there was no magic sparks, or fireworks at the background, no choir singing, it was just okay enough for a second date the next week.

This went on for a while until one morning they woke up together on Jay’s apartment floor and it hit them like a brick wall. These weren’t casual dates anymore, they probably never were. They were actually boyfriends before they could notice, so they just accepted it as a hard-given fact and moved on from there. It wasn’t much, but it was the way it was.

“We’ve been sneaking out for a while. Can you repeat to me, Jungwon, why cannot you brother know about us?”

Jungwon hated this question, because to anyone but him it didn’t make any sense. At all. He turned away, not able to face Jay when reminding him of something that would be absurd to everyone anyway. He took a deep breath and began.

“Because I promised him I wouldn’t date until I turned 31.”

Jay couldn’t help but snicker at that. He understood, but he also knew the promise had been broken already. “Okay, but you do know you made that promise when you were, what? 12? I think by now he probably forgot about it.”

Jungwon’s eyes opened wide and he shot up and looked at Jay dead in the eye as if he had just said something even more ridiculous and illegal.

“No, he hasn’t. In fact, he made the same promise and until now he’s kept it and that’s what annoys me the most, Jay. Up until now he hasn’t ever gone on a single date with anyone! HOW?!”

Jay laughed hard at seeing Jungwon having a crisis over something like this.

“How is that possible, Jungwon? Maybe he has a bunch of girlfriends and he just hides it like you do. Keeping secrets might even run in the family.”

“No, Jay, you don’t know him. But he’s an open book. He is physically uncapable of lying. That’s just how he is. His friends even tried to set him up on a blind date once and he came home crying and apologizing for it.”

“You’re not serious…”

“I AM! I was traumatized by that, Jay! I thought dating was one of the scariest things a person could ever do!”

“You’re not a kid anymore, Jungwon…”

“Oh, but I AM! At least to his eyes I am… Didn’t I tell you what happened last week? He sat me down next to him to watch some lame cartoon I used to watch when I was seven. He even sung the theme song, Jay. THE THEME SONG!”

“That’s cute.” Jay laughed so hard his stomach started to hurt. He carressed Jungwon’s porcelain face and look into his eyes, couldn’t help himself but give him a tiny peck before hearing the knock on his door.

“Curry~!” Jungwon chanted and started setting up the table.

Jay stood up and headed to the door, a smile plastered on his face like he was falling in love all over again.

“Ni-Ki! I didn’t know you were delivering tonight. If I had known I would’ve ordered someplace else,” Jay said while grabbing his bags.

“So annoying as always, Jay. If I’d known you were the one who ordered I would’ve put some extra spit in your sauce.”

“Oh, so you mean there’s only regular spit?”

“Only regular. I can add some if you want.”

Jay felt a couple arms around his waist and a head pop next to him. “Ni-Ki!” Jungwon shouted excitedly. Ni-Ki replied with a fistbump and a smile. He loved delivering to this apartment.

“Here, take these,” Jay handed him the bags and Jungwon took them to the table.

“Jay, you would not believe what happened,” Ni-Ki said. “I actually didn’t know it was you who ordered because I thought you two were going to move out, so when I saw I had to deliver to someone named Park I saw the door next to yours and some tan guy wearing nothing but a towel opened up and I said ‘Uhh, curry delivery to Mr. Park?’ And he looked at me so confused and said they didn’t order anything, and shut the door on my face. Yo, it was so weird!”

“Rude…”

“I know right?!”

“He should’ve called the cops. You could’ve been a killer or something, and he puts us all in grave danger.”

“I hate you so much, Jay,” Ni-Ki said unable to hold back his laughter.

Jungwon came back gripping tight to Jay’s waist, again, and just stood there hoping Jay would get the hint that he wanted to eat already. But he could also wait a couple minutes because he enjoyed Ni-Ki’s company as well. He always came with the funniest anecdotes.

“By the way, weren’t you two looking for a new place to move? What happened?” Ni-Ki inquired. Even though he began as a delivery boy, they grew acquainted to him for ordering so much that conversation just started to flow with him.

“We were, but someone decided it was too fancy for him. Can you guess who?” Jay said and Jungwon avoided eye contact, cheeks red-tinted and lips close-shut.

“I swear, that’s the one thing I will never understand from you, Jungwon. You’re dating a rich guy, but you always like to keep it humble. You’re even still ordering the same curry from this place when you could have like a personal chef or something!” Ni-Ki said.

They laughed and talked for a while, when they noticed a handsome guy walking towards the door next to them. He was way too handsome for any regular person, almost like the ones you would see on TV. He must’ve felt them staring and he nodded politely with a smile, before knocking again.

The door opened and the same guy Ni-Ki talked about opened the door again, this time greeting with a friendly demeanor.

The handsome guy gave him the backpack he was carrying and said, “Here’s your bag. The lights in your house were on, but I don’t think anyone was there.”

“Nah, my brother said he was going to stay at his friend’s house tonight.”

 _That voice_ …

Jungwon jumped up, heart racing faster than normal, fingers gripping harder onto Jay’s waist, and his legs trembling about to break down.

“Ouch! What the–?!” Jay screamed in pain.

“Are you okay?” Ni-Ki asked.

The guy next door, out of curiosity, leaned forward to see what the ruckus was about only to meet eye to eye with the one person he was trying to avoid the most.

Jungwon saw the shirtless guy, his heart dropping and his face burning.

“Jungwon?! What the hell are you doing here?!”

“H-Heeseungie-hyung…”


	2. Chapter 2

Keeping a secret can be so exhausting. The lying, dodging questions, pretending you’re not hiding anything, and then plotting your every move hoping the truth never sees the light. The initial thrill of not getting caught, can be exhilarating to some, to the point when they just don’t want to stop, instead seeking to lie more and more and see how far they can go from their initial lie and how convincing they can be. And then, there are others, who get sick at the single thought of lying and getting caught, ranging symptoms from nausea to even fainting if it gets too much for them to handle.

“Jungwon? I’m waiting! You told me you were staying over at a friend’s house. I thought you were going to stay over at Sunoo’s. Who’s he? Answer me!”

“H-Heeseungie-hyung…”

“Oh, hi! You must be Heeseungie-hyung, right? Hi! I’m Riki! I’m friends with Jungwon and Son Woo. It’s so nice to finally meet you! Jungwon has told me so much about you!”

Ni-Ki approached him and bowed forward as much as he could to show respect. This action seemed to have pleased Heeseung, but his frown didn’t seem to disappear so easily. He just nodded and then turned to the other guy, the other blond dude who shielded his younger brother from him. He looked at Jungwon who was nervously shaking, unable to even muster a word.

“Hi! I’m Taehyun, I’m friend of Heeseung-hyung and Wonie. Hi, Wonie!” the handsome guy greeted nicely. He was trying to help difuse the tension surrounding all of them, just in time to make sure his friend wouldn’t do anything out of the ordinary and yell or something. He has been friends with him for way too long to know how he’ll react, especially in any situation that involved his younger brother.

“Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah! And, this is my brother, Jay. Actually, I have to go back to work right now, so Jungwon was just going to wait here for me. And Son Woo–”

“Sunoo.”

“Sunoo said he’d be over here over an hour ago, but you know him, he’s always late to everything, Haha, am I right?” Ni-Ki said, wishing with all his power this blatantly obvious lie would at least work in the slightest.

Heeseung didn’t say anything, inspecting the boy and his brother, noticing the familiarities from both of them. _Foreigners_ , clearly. It was weird that this was the first time ever hearing from this friend of his brother. Not even once was he mentioned in any conversation, or anything. But he seemed to be pretty sincere. Taehyun coughed loudly making him feel uncomfortable for not saying anything.

“It’s good to meet the two of you as well,” he said without changing his angry tone or his serious expression.

“Anyway, you probably should go back to work and you two… mmm… I smell food? Curry, maybe? You should go eat before it gets cold. Sorry for taking so much of your time,” Taehyun said. He then proceeded to push Heeseung into the apartment and close the door behind them, leaving a scared Jungwon and Jay and a fully-committed-to-this-lie Ni-Ki.

It took Jungwon some seconds to process what had just happened, and a few more to realize they were still in the hallway and he was getting stared at. Jay guided him towards the nearest chair and Ni-Ki stepped in and closed the door behind him.

A phone rang and Jungwon’s heart accelerated thinking it was his fate, and now that the cover was blown and he’d get punished and his brother wouldn’t ever talk back to him and he was the biggest disappointment ever. That is until he saw Ni-Ki grab his own phone from his own pocket and go to a side and talk in private.

Jay was crouching on the floor, looking at him, carressing his cheek with one hand and with the other holding his hand. He took some deep breaths, closed his eyes and tried to remain calm, at least for now.

“That was my work. They need me to go back now,” Ni-Ki said.

“I understand,” Jay said. He bit his lip and stood up. “Uhm, Ni-Ki…”

“Yeah?”

“Can you come over after work? I think we need to have a discussion about all this.”

“I’LL SAY! HOW DID YOU EVEN LET ME SAY WE’RE BROTHERS! WE LOOK NOTHING ALIKE EXCEPT OUR BLONDE-DYED HAIR!”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN I LET YOU?! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW YOU WERE GONNA SAY SOMETHING AS RIDICULOUS AS THAT?!”

“SO NOW YOU’RE SAYING IT’S MY FAULT?!”

“OF COURSE IT’S YOUR FAULT FOR GOD’S SAKE!!!”

Jungwon stared at the guys bickering in front of him and couldn’t help himself but laugh. “You two really behave like brothers!” he said and proceeded to laugh some more.

“Okay, I’m out. Jay, you’re so messed up. Hope you know that,” Ni-Ki said walking towards the door.

“Wait!” Jay said while grabbing something out of his pocket. “Take this.”

He threw a couple of keys at Ni-Ki.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU MANIAC?! HOW CAN YOU GIVE THE KEYS TO YOUR APARTMENT TO THE GUY THAT DELIVERS YOUR FOOD?!”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU IDIOT?! YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO PRETEND TO BE MY BROTHER NOW! WHAT IF HE SEES YOU KNOCKING ON THE DOOR HE’LL KNOW WE’RE LYING!”

“HE PROBABLY ALREADY KNOWS WE’RE LYING BECAUSE YOU’RE SO DAMN LOUD!”

_That stopped them._

Jay covered Ni-Ki’s mouth with one hand and his own with the other. Meanwhile, Jungwon was already on the floor laughing at all this chaos. Forgetting about the current situation, he just enjoyed watching these two bicker like crazy.

“Okay… Ni-Ki, just take them, alright? We’ll figure things along the way. Just… just go.”

“Fine! But when I come back home there better be some fried chicken waiting for me!”

“THIS ISN’T EVEN YOUR HOME!”

“YOU’RE THE WORST BROTHER EVER!” Ni-Ki said as he exited slamming the door.

Jungwon started to choke on air while his stomach started to hurt from laughing so hard. If anything, this was the best lie ever if it meant he’d get to laugh this much. After a few seconds that he got to calm down, he got up and held Jay in a tight embrace.

“Thank you for doing this, Jay. I’m sorry for causing so much trouble.”

“When I said that I love you, I meant it with every letter. Ni-Ki must like you a lot too if he’s willing to go this far to protect you as well.”

“The least we could do is buy him some fried chicken like he wanted.”

“Guess you’re right. It’s probably the least we could do. But first, how about we eat our own food?”

“Oh, right… It must be so cold by now.”

“Let’s just go eat. If anything we can still heat it up.”

“Okay.”

They went to the table, sat down and just enjoyed their meal quietly. At times, Jay would just grab Jungwon’s hand to reassure him. Thankfully they had a TV to see anything they wanted to without needing to talk until the younger felt ready to.

Time went by, the chicken arrived with some soda and a litre of ice-cream. Jungwon lied on the floor watching TV, while Jay cleaned the kitchen-corner. After a while, they heard the doorknob and someone coming in.

“CHICKEN! Jay I love you so much!” Ni-Ki said, throwing his shoes and sitting down ready to gobble up the food. “By the way, your plan worked. Dude was also coming home and saw me open the door with the keys. Nailed it.”

“See? I told you the plan was going to work great. You just gotta trust me.”

Ni-Ki was busy munching on his food to even care about anything else at that point. Jay noticed and just let him eat in peace while he went over to Jungwon and hugged him. They stayed like that for a while waiting for Jay’s fake-brother to finish eating so they could figure out their next move.

As soon as he was done, he went over to the bathroom and washed his hands and face. After that he went over to his partners-in-crime and began.

“So… now what?”

“Knowing my brother he’ll start questioning me more and more until he fnds out the truth. I just need to buy some time until I’m ready to come clean,” Jungwon said. “Can you both hold on to the lie until then?”

“I’ve got no issue with it. I can just tell Mother that I’ll be staying at a friend’s house for some days. She doesn’t have a problem with it as long as I visit her and let her know I’m okay,” Ni-Ki said.

“Even though it’s not gonna be for long, we should probably pick up some of your stuff like toothbrush and clothes,” Jungwon said.

“I don’t mind buying you new stuff. When’s your next day off?”

“I’ve got tomorrow and the next day off. I talked to the owner and said I had some ‘family issues’ to take care of.”

Jay got up and went to look for some pillows and a blanket to give Ni-Ki so he could stay at the couch this night. There wasn’t enough time to figure out something better, so this had to be enough at least for now.

Jungwon went over to grab the ice-cream, three spoons and a mat to put it on the floor. He handed a spoon to Ni-Ki and they started to eat while thinking about this whole mess.

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but I don’t understand…” Ni-Ki said. “If you knew you were going to have problems with your brother, why did you decide to date your own neighbor?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I mean, hasn’t it been hard to sneak around from your brother when you’re dating the guy next door?”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean next door, Ni-Ki? My neighbor just moved in a week ago. I haven’t met him yet, but I’ve seen him a couple of times,” Jay said.

“Wait, I don’t get it. Doesn’t Jungwon and his brother live next door?”

“No… we don’t…”

“Are you guys sure?”

Jungwon and Jay paused for a second.

“Jay… you know where I live,” Jungwon said.

“Did your brother say something about moving out?”

“Wait, I’m confused. Why was your brother shirtless in a place that’s not his?”

Ni-Ki kept eating some more spoonfuls of ice cream while observing the couple in front of him stare confused at each other. Seems like they didn’t know either, but it also seemed like they were talking with their minds. It might’ve been one of those couple things that Ni-Ki didn’t understand since he has never dated anyone. He was amazed and at the same time intrigued to know what they were thinking. But he just waited.

“Jungwon… you don’t… think he…”

Jungwon’s face started to change from confused to disgusted to annoyed to angry. He was visibly upset at the sudden realization.

“HEESEUNG-HYUNG!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say [ THAT THIS ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EsZfjwmXEAIx-Rn?format=jpg&name=medium) is going to be my favorite relationship to write in this fic. Can't wait to have Sunoo join this whole mess. And Jake!!! 
> 
> Also thank you for the kudos and Jungwonuwu and valentiny for commenting! I wanted to hold back on this chapter yet, but I thought maybe I could add it now. Hope you liked it! <3


	3. Chapter 3

Every now and then we are forced to make decisions. Wether the outcome will be good or bad, only time will tell. But even before we decide we are aware of the impact each of these choices will have in our life. And after we pick, we must live with the results and make the best out of it.

"So anyways, do you guys have any more ice cream?"

"Shut up, Ni-Ki. Now's not the time."

"I can't believe my own brother would lie to me like that..."

"Weren't you planning on moving out with your boyfriend who you've kept hidden for the past few years?"

"Yes, but that's different..."

"How?"

"It just is!"

Jungwon plopped his whole body on the ground, staring at the ceiling and hitting the floor out of rage and powerlessness. Jay hugged his legs and blankly stared at nothing in particular. Ni-Ki stared at both of them looking defeated and wondered if they'd mind him inspecting the fridge for more ice cream. He got up anyway.

The room started to heat up a bit, but then it was fresh again. The air conditioner doing its job made a small clicking sound throwing Ni-Ki off and scaring him. It didn't stop him, though, in his quest for more ice cream.

Then an idea hit him. Jungwon shoot up and looked at Jay with a mischievous smile. His white teeth glowing with the plan he was plotting. Jay was scared. Ni-Ki was happy. He found the ice cream. And it had two days before it expired. Nice!

"Is he having an aneurism?"

"I think he's planning something," Jay said. "Wonnie? You okay?"

"I've got it! I'll make him confess first!"

"Confess what, Wonnie?"

"Don't you see? This is the perfect plan!" Jungwon said before leaving to the main room to grah his phone and start typing on it.

"D-Does he know he still hasn't told us his plan?"

"Probably not. So... hey, uhmmm... it's pretty late now, so I brought you some pilloes and blankets, do you mind sleeping in the couch?"

"Are you kidding? Your couch is so much better than my bed! Everytime I delivered food here all I could think about was 'How did someone like Jungwon end up with this thing called Jay?' AND the next thing I thought is how much I wanted to crash in this couch right here!"

Jay laughed. He took no offense since it was coming from his fake little brother. At least they had the banter part right already. But faking it for much longer could potentially expose the truth one way or another.

He grabbed the remote control of the TV and the game controller for his console and left them on the couch. Ni-Ki seemed like the type of guy who'd stay up until pretty late, plus he was spending the night at a stranger's house so he was probably going to feel a bit anxious.

Jay looked at Ni-Ki learning by himself how to turn on the TV and being astounded by the myriad of channels and movies that he could watch, and he would try to as well. Jay chuckled to himself. It was weird how much they trusted this complete stranger in his household without an ounce of doubt if he'd do something to harm them or anything. The boy is very trustworthy, Jay thought.

"Hey, Ni-Ki..."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for helping us out. I really appreciate it."

"It's okay. You two are good people. You deserve to be happy."

"You too. Good night, Ni-Ki."

"Night, Jay."

Jay went over to his room and left the door slightly open, saw his boyfriend fast asleep with his phone on top of him as if he had stressed himself out to sleep. If he had any plan he'd probably disclose it the next day, but, at least for now, sleeping was the best thing to do. Closing his eyes, he overheard the noises from the TV and the laughter coming from the living room, and it all felt to fit quite perfectly.

The next day, Jay woke up to an empty bed. He knew that Jungwon had to leave early to not cross paths with his brother, so he didn't mind. But, lately, whenever Jungwon left, he'd been feeling lonely. He had gotten so used to his presence it felt like there was a huge space where the younger should be.

He got up and then lied down on the bed again. He wasn't all that ready to start the day yet. He stared at the ceiling for a few moments before he heard the vibrating sound coming from his phone. He looked at the screen and winced and proceeded to ignore the messages.

"Guess I have to make breakfast," Jay said. He sighed and got up, still not ready to start the day.

Ni-Ki was still sleeping on the couch, the TV on the cartoons channel. He wondered if Ni-Ki was the type to really enjoy these animated shows. He didn't look like it, but he was still a kid underneath that tall body. He turned off the TV and immediately got a reaction.

"Hey! I was watching that..."

"Morning to you too. Wanna get showered so we can buy breakfast

"Not particularly... You know there's delivery services nowadays? You should know, that's how we met~"

"Yeah, but the place I'm craving right now doesn't have a delivery service."

"Literally everything can be delivered, Jay, you grandpa! I wanted a rich blonde guy to take care of me and pamper me and look! Here we are~"

"Who said I was paying? I've got a coupon for a free breakfast at this place near Jungwon's campus. Actually, three coupons."

"You can literally purchase half of this country but god forbid you spend some coins to buy orange juice, a sandwich and a cookie."

"Do you wanna starve locked in here instead?"

Ni-Ki thought about it for a few seconds and caved in. Complaining throughout the whole process, he was given a towel, some clothes and taught how to use the shower, and no, he was not allowed to turn on the bathroom TV even if he whined a lot to at least put on some music. Jay was hungry so he wanted the boy to hurry up.

"Why do you even have a bathroom TV if you don't even use it?!"

"If you knew how much stuff I actually have that I don't even use! Now shut up and get cleaned immediately! I'm starving!"

At least Ni-Ki was hungry as well, which made him hurry up as much as he could. He took a quick sniff at the clothes and they smelled so good, and they felt comfortable as well, not to mention he felt like a supermodel wearing something as cool as this. For a brief moment he wanted to pretend this was the life he wanted to have for the rest of his life.

"Took you a while," Jay said, browsing through his phone, not giving a second glance at the younger.

"Ah, sorry. It's just, I really like hot showers..."

"You say that like you cannot take one at your house..."

"Yeah... so... anyways. Uhm, shall we go?"

"Sure. I was just texting Jungwon and telling him our plans for the day. He'll be busy today so we won't get to see him. He says hi, by the way, and sorry he woke you up."

"Oh, tell him it's okay. I really enjoyed our chat this morning."

Jay got up, grabbed his keys and finished getting ready in front of the mirror. “You can tell him yourself later. I’m buying you a new phone, by the way.”

Ni-Ki watched Jay move from one spot to the other, shocked and almost speechless at what he was just told. “Hold up… Jay… Don’t you think you’re taking this too far?”

“Listen, eventually you’ll have to be alone with Jungwon and his brother, and he needs to see us using similar devices, otherwise he’ll start to raise suspicions.”

“Okay, I guess…”

Jay looked at him for a quick second before turning around and heading to the door. He started feeling annoyed for no particular reason. He made sure he had his car keys and door keys. He opened the door, but was caught offguard. With one hand he covered Ni-Ki’s mouth and with the other he signalled to be quiet.

“Yeah, I’m heading out now. Oh, your brother was already home? Ah, I see. No, no, it’s okay, I’ll manage. Yeah~ Yeah~ Yeah, of course you can stay over this weekend. Okay, see you then. Yeah. I love you too, bye~”

It was just a few seconds when they started to get panicky trying to communicate on what to do and to not be so noisy. They realized that voice came from outside the door next to theirs when they heard footsteps that started to rush their heartbeats.

“Hey. You two eavesdropping?” The neighbor approached them with a gentle smile and calm eyes. He lifted his eyebrows and chuckled. “Nevermind. Jongseong, right? Glad to finally meet you. And you must be his little brother, Riki, right?”

The two fake brothers shared a look, holding their ultra suspicious pose and turned back to the guy with the threatening aura and gentle smile. They nodded and then bowed their heads like they would do in the presence of any son of mafia.

“My name is Park Sunghoon, I’m your new neighbor. Please take care of me,” he bowed respectfully in return. Then he smiled some more. For a while, Jay and Ni-Ki were feeling shy just by looking at this handsome man. “Ah, you two must be heading out. Sorry to interrupt.”

“Uhhhh…”

“Not at all! Actually, Jay and I– _hyung_ _and I_ – were heading over to breakfast. He has an extra coupon. Wanna come with?”

“Oh, if you don’t mind. I could really eat some breakfast right now.”

Jay shot a death glare at Ni-Ki for running his mouth again. This was a situation he was avidly avoiding and now forced into by none other than the other person who should be avoiding this situation. Without any words he smiled at his neighbor and nodded.

“Great! Do you wanna take my car or should we go with yours? I don’t mind either way, I can always call my driver to pick me up~”

“Uhhhhh…”

“We can go in our car. Jay and I– _hyung and I_ – are going to the mall afterwards.”

“Great!”

On their way to the car, Ni-Ki and Jay threw looks at each other. They had to be quiet since they could easily blow their cover, but thankfully they took advantage of Sunghoon chatting through his phone to not pay them attention.

_YOU DID IT AGAIN!!! DON’T YOU HAVE A ‘MUTE’ BUTTON OR SOMETHING?! JESUS CHRIST!_ , Jay expressed.

_WHY DO YOU KEEP LETTING ME DO ALL THE TALK?!! THIS TIME IT HUNDRED PERCENT IS YOUR FAULT!!!_ , Ni-Ki responded.

_NI-KI, WHEN THERE ARE NO WITNESSES I WILL PAINFULLY MURDER YOU!_

_TRY ME, JERK! AT LEAST DEAD I DON’T HAVE TO SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS!_

_OH, YOU WANNA FIGHT RIGHT NOW?!_

_I WOULD DUNK YOU! But I’m really hungry right now… can we do it after breakfast?_

_Yeah, I’m hungry too… Let’s go, hurry!_

They got in the car and drove all the way to “The Golden Aegyo” café. The way there was pretty quiet, with occasional conversation flowing between Ni-Ki and Sunghoon. Jay greeted one of his friends that worked there and let the other two make their orders before making his. They waited at a table on the outside, that had a glass wall covering it ensuring the safety of their clients.

A waiter brought them their order and placed it accordingly. Ni-Ki couldn’t be happier to eat such a delicious breakfast. Jay and Sunghoon, on the other hand, enjoyed it just as much as they usually did. They talked for a while, getting to know each other better. They learned that Sunghoon was a figure skater and a model, and that’s why Ni-Ki found him so familiar. That he wanted to be an idol when he was younger, but after a while lost the appeal to do so and instead prioritized his career. That he’s waiting for the repairman to show up because his aircon was not working properly and since he moved in quite recently it has been ultra annoying for him and his friend.

_Friend…_

“Oh, you met him last night, actually. Your boyfriend’s brother, Heeseung-hyung.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ISTG when I started writing this chapter I thought I was going to introduce Sunoo, but I guess that'll have to wait. And I already gave up on convincing myself this is going to be a short fic... But I'm really invested in see how all this mess turns out.
> 
> BTW, "The Golden Aegyo" is a big WIP that I'm trying to outline correctly that features a crossover between many of the groups I like ranging from Big Hit groups, Got7, Skz, etc. If you wonder why it's called that is because Jimin and Jungkook from BTS are the owners.
> 
> And lastly, I want to thank lucy and veliociace for your comments that helped me work harder on this chapter, hope you enjoy this chapter as well! <3333
> 
> @hoshisolovely : I love hoshi so much :'( <3 I reaaaallly hope this chapter made you laugh as well! And Sunoo as Jungwon's bff will be wild!
> 
> @jungwonuwu : AHHHHH!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!! I don't play favorites, but I really love long comments and I keep going back to yours because it gives me so much strength to write more and more. I'm sorry for leaving you with yet another cliffhanger, but you'll have to wait to find out what's coming next :P And I looooveee the Jay-Ki brother quarrelling, that happens when you put the two biggest hyperactive pranksters together: A MESS! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! <3


	4. Chapter 4

Getting caught in a lie is nervewrecking. When you tried your hardest to keep it a secret for so long and see it explode in front of you in a matter of seconds. Even worst when your ally, the person you've been lying for, isn't with you and you don't really know if they're in the same amount of trouble. You can only hope for the best at this point.

"Eh? W-What d-do y-you mean...?"

"Come on. Hiding yourself from hyung, panicking when you met him for the first time, Jungwon sneaking out and keeping secrets. It's pretty obvious he's dating you, Riki."

"WHAT?! NO!"

So... maybe he didn't catch the lie quite yet, but instead made the wrong assumption. This just means they can twist it around.

"JAY SAY SOMETHING!"

"Jay? What does he have to do with this?"

"He's not dating Jungwon!"

"THAT'S RIGHT!"

"He already has a boyfriend!"

"THAT'S RI- What?"

"He does?!"

"I do?"

"He does!"

"I... do~!"

"He's dating Jungwon's friend, Sunoo. But they wanted to keep it a secret and that's why they're not telling anyone yet."

"Eh? For real? HE is dating Sunoo? Kim Sunoo?"

"Kim Sunoo himself. The king of acting cute."

"More like a demonic hellspawn brat who's very annoying..."

"Hey! Don't talk like that about... my boyfriend, apparently."

Sunghoon sighed. "Riki, do yourself a favor and break up with him."

"What? Why...?"

"Ah, I see he still doesn't talk about me. Figures. You see, I'm his older brother. Urgh, speaking of the devil. I have to take this call, be right back."

Sunghoon stood up with a gloomy look on his face, he picked up the call and went outside of the café, his bright smile faded away as soon as the phone had rang, but his eyes were filled with melancholy as he talked with someone he didn't seem specially fond of.

"So..."

"So~"

"Sorry?"

"The first time you decide to step up and talk and you make me your boyfriend's brother's boyfriend's brother's boyfriend! Are you freaking kidding me?!"

"I... I didn't know this was going to happen..."

"Jay, I swear to god when this lie is over you're paying me compensations AND therapy!"

"You're right! You're absolutely right! We messed up big this time, didn't we?"

"WE?! WEEEE???!!!!! AS IN YOU AND ME????? NO, NO, THIS IS ALL YOU! I JUST SAID I WAS JUNGWON'S FRIEND! YOU MADE ME HIS FRIEND'S BOYFRIEND OUT OF NOWHERE!"

"WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO? TELL HIM THE TRUTH?!"

"BUT DID YOU HAVE TO THROW ME UNDER THE BUS?!"

"SUNOO'S FAMILY IS RICHER THAN MINE!"

"So, is he good looking? I already met his brother, when can I meet him?"

"You're insufferable..."

"I'm also very much in love with Son Woo-"

"Sunoo."

"Sunoo!"

Jay looked at his drink, wondering how were they going to pull up this lie for so long. Now he even involved Sunoo in the whole lie. He just wondered how many more people he was going to screw up before all of this exploded.

He felt a hand on top of his. He turned around and saw a bright smile in the face of the boy who made his blood boil and his life so much more complicated.

"Jay. It'll be okay, okay?"

Jay nodded. He felt some sort of relief from his mental anguish.

"I'm sorry, that was Sunoo. He overspent again and needed some money," Sunghoon said sitting down. He seemed stressed out, which made Jay and Ni-Ki look at each other in worry before turning to him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said. But it was an obvious lie. He tried to smile again but avoided eye contact. "It's just... he always gets like this. He said he bought something expensive for his special someone and to mind my own business, like usual. He keeps pushing me away, and it's just stressful, you know? If I hadn't met you just now I wouldn't even know who his special someone is. But you seem like a good guy, I'm sorry if I just worry so much."

"Hey, it's okay. What do you mean with all of this?"

"It's just him, he gets so intense when he falls in love and then he breaks up pretty fast and it's all just a mess. I know he hates me, but I still don't like seeing him get all heartbroken."

Jay looked at Ni-Ki, pretty worried because he actually knew about Sunoo not lasting in his relationships, that's why he lied about it. So that they wouldn't need to say anything anyway, as they could easily lie about a breakup as well.

But now this was getting out of hand. They just met Sunghoon today, and Heeseung last night, and now they were involving Sunoo who happens to be Sunghoon's brother. Maybe they should come clean about everything.

"Hey, Sunghoon-ssi, it's going to be okay. You just gotta give him some time to come around. I mean, I've had my share of quarrels with... Riki.... but that doesn't mean I hate him. If I'm ever in trouble I know I can ALWAYS count on him. And he knows as well, if he ever needs me or just wants to hang out he can just go ahead and call me. I'll ALWAYS be there for him. It must be the same with your brother. I mean, at least he calls you, right? And if he asks you for money and tells you on what he's spending that only means he still trusts you, right? That's gotta be something!"

"That's true! I mean it's just like Jay and I. Sometimes we don't speak for days, but it's okay because I always know where he'll be. Or, for instance, at first I was hesitant to date Sunoo, but Jay right here, my dear old brother, showed me just how _worthy_ he is and how much I should _value_ him for all that he has." Jay sighed and rolled his eyes.

_*beep beep*_

"Oh. That's him. He needs me to pick him up."

"See?! He wants YOU to pick HIM up. Just give him some time, he'll come around. That sweet, golden boyfriend of mine."

"You're right. Thank you Riki. Thank you Jay. You've both helped me out so much, and thank you for this breakfast. My driver just left my car outside so I'll get going. I'll see you around."

"Ah, before you leave, uh-"

"Yes, Jay?"

"What my brother is trying to say is... it would really mean a lot to us if you don't tell Sunoo we've met. We're trying to keep this a secret, between us, and so, if you tell him he'll pretend he doesn't know me. Literally doesn't know me. Literally."

"Ah, alright. I'll do that, don't worry. When he's ready he'll tell me, I guess."

"Yup, he sure will say something."

"Okay then, I'll see you around."

They waved goodbye as they saw him leave the premises. They could finally sigh in relief of almost getting caught in their lies.

They shared a look for a couple of seconds and a smile, before deciding it was already time to hit the road and go on with their day.

They got in the car and went over to the mall where they traced a map of which shops to visit and budget how much they were going to spend. Ni-Ki kept complaining that Jay could buy the entire mall if he wanted to and Jay just said he didn't want to right then, right there anyway.

Their first stop was to buy a new phone for Ni-Ki. There were several good options, but at first glance none actually caught their attention. Some were way too fancy to even consider buying, others were too complicated to use. They came with so many features like five cameras, or voice assistants, and Ni-Ki felt too weirded out by all this options. Until they saw one phone that was pretty simple to use according to the salesperson. It was the one they recommended new users to buy so they familiarized themselves with all the advantages of a smartphone. Ni-Ki wanted that one and that's the one they got.

Afterwards they went for some accesories, such as a case, protection and stickers to customize it. Ni-Ki insisted he wanted to buy a tripod to record himself dancing and Jay just let him have it. If anything, it wasn't all that expensive. He decided to buy a new light for Jungwon as well and a sheep phone case that he would likely want to use.

Then, they went shopping for some clothes and shoes. Ni-Ki's style was pretty simple. He liked comfortable clothes and sweatpants. But, Jay pointed out with a very concise dialogue and an irrefutable point, _over his dead body_.

Ni-Ki just let his fake brother pick all the clothes anyway, and he could resize them later as well. He pouted and enjoyed taking pictures with his new phone meanwhile. He even recorded Jay holding two different outfits choosing which to purchase for about twelve minutes, until he ultimately decided he would just get both, and a third one as well. Ni-Ki enjoyed taking pictures of him helping other clients with their clothes selections and showing them different combinations. There even was an old lady buying an outfit for her grandson's 17th birthday, and he helped her pick one of the coolest outfits he could find. She was very thankful and even hugged him. Ni-Ki recorded all of it and more.

Then came lunch time and they were both starving. They decided to leave all the stuff at the car and then find something at the food court at the mall. Jay was craving something meaty and Ni-Ki wanted pork, so they found a barbecue place which suited both of them. Jungwon video called them and kept poking fun at their bickering over the simplest things like Ni-Ki dropping his vegetables on Jay's plate or Jay complaining that he was being too difficult. Then Ni-Ki showed Jungwon all the pictures he had taken and parts of the videos he recorded and Jay flustered hiding his face.

"Alright, I gotta go to the bathroom. Be right back," Ni-Ki said. He stood up and went to ask for directions to the bathroom.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself a bit too much, Jay," Jungwon said.

"What do you mean?"

"You really treat him like your brother. It's cute."

"S-Shut up! He's annoying!"

"I haven't seen you this happy for a while now."

"What are you saying? I'm always happy when I'm with you."

" _Blergh_. You know what I mean. You've never been this kind to Sunoo, Jake or Kai. You act different when you're with Ni-Ki."

"Ugh, shut up. What about you? Anything happened with your brother?"

"Ah, Heeseung-hyung arrived early as well, but right after me. We ate breakfast together and he just left an hour ago. I've got classes in an hour and said I'll be coming home tonight so I'm sorry I cannot stay over."

"It's okay, don't worry."

"Huh? It's okay? Don't worry? Last time I said I couldn't stay the night you whined for an entire week."

"What? No, I'm just saying I know the situation with your brother is complicated so I understand you want to keep a low profile for now."

"Okay, that seems reasonable."

"Besides, I can watch movies with Ni-Ki and Sunghoon. He seems pretty chill."

"AHA! I KNEW IT! Just admit it! You actually like spending time with Ni-Ki! Wait, who's Sunghoon?"

"Your brother's boyfriend."

"Ugh, my stomach hurts. I'm gonna be sick."

"Yeah. When we were leaving this morning we overheard him talking to your brother. He even said the 'L' word."

"Lesbians?"

"Love~"

"Ugh."

"Oh, and Ni-Ki screwed up again and told Sunghoon that he's dating Sunoo. Who, we find out is Sunghoon's younger brother."

"Wait, Sunoo has a brother?"

"Apparently."

"He's never mentioned it to me. Huh..."

"I guess we're not the only ones stuck with a huge lie, are we?"

"Guess we aren't."

"I miss you, Jungwon."

"I miss you too, Jay. I promise I won't keep this lie for that much longer, I just want him to confess first. And once he does we can finally move in together."

"Right. Gosh we still need to find a place for the three of us."

"Three of us?"

"Uh..."

"Jay. I know I've been joking around saying you two look like brothers, but you do remember he really isn't your brother, right?"

"Uh..."

"Jay. I know this is exciting because you're an only child and this is your chance to pretend you have a younger brother, but please don't get too attached. It'll break my heart to see you get sad once Ni-Ki has to go back to his mom."

"I know... it's just..."

"I know, Jay. You don't have to tell me. But remember he's our friend and the guy who delivers our food. Okay?"

"Okay..."

"Alright. I have to go now, enjoy the rest of your day. Tell Ni-Ki I said goodbye. I love you."

"Love you too..."

Jay sighed. He knew Jungwon was right, but a part of him thought Jungwon was dead wrong. Like, he was just wrong about everything, and he didn't know a single thing about what was going on. Or anything, really. Jungwon didn't know anything.

But then again, maybe he really was exaggerating. He was sort of confused and stressed out. His mind was racing and his thoughts were hurting. They were already done eating so they just had to go shop for the rest of the things and be done with the day anyway. He wanted to relax playing games at home and not think about anything else.

"Sorry I took so long. I actually got lost." Ni-Ki said sitting down on his seat.

"It"s fine. Ready to go?"

"Yeah. Ah, by the way, I got you this."

"What's that?"

"I got distracted on the way back and saw this tiny bird thingies, and it looks exactly like you! It even is yellow like your hair! Hahaha!"

"Really? I look like an Angry Bird?"

"HAHAHAHA!! YOU DO! I also got you some stickers and a chocolate. Here. So you can customize your phone as well and we can match."

Jay looked at this stuff and laughed. There were several stickers of Angry Birds and that's when he knew for a fact that Jungwon was wrong. He was most definitely wrong about all of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I swear if someone comes and tells me "I came for the Jaywon but stayed for the Jayki" I'll feel so complete~_  
>  Also, I love dialogue-heavy chapters. I feel like I'm better at writing dialogue than actions.
> 
> Anyways this is the last calm chapter and I want to *spoiler* prepare y'all for a wild ride to come. I already finished the outline and boy... I feel pretty proud of how it'll turn out.
> 
> While waiting for the next chapter, take a guess on who'll feature in the next chapter:  
> A) More of Heeseung-hyung and his secret relationship.  
> B) We'll finally get to see Sunoo make his flashy entrance in the middle of a war.  
> C) Jake has been officially mentioned so who knows, maybe he'll show up?  
> D) Someone from TXT maybe because I stan them so much.  
> E) Other: _________________________________________
> 
> ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
> @jungwonuwu I have a confession to make... I'm addicted to writing JayKi bickering every chapter .-. Their sibling energy is just too strong... At least this chapter doesn't have a cliffhanger~ . . . can't promise anything for next chapter. Thank you for your constant support! <3
> 
> @valentiny don't worry, don't feel pressured to write perfect english comments, as long as they come from the heart they're already amazing <3 Thank you so much for your support and I'm glad my story is easy to read. Thank you so much!


	5. Chapter 5

Time starts to go by before you know it. The flowers that used to be there have been oranged into decay, wilting away, ready to die. Every cycle has to come to an end for a new one to begin. Even if that means tearing apart everything you once knew, even if it hurts to let go of those attachments you used to think you couldn't live without. It is part of nature for us to grow, and adapt to our new circumstances. And with that, change is born into our lives.

"JAAAAYYYYY!!!!!! OPEN UP!!!!!!!!! IT'S BEEN THREE DAYS AND YOU'RE NOT ANSWERING MY CALLS!!!!!! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!!!!!!"

The door opened.

"Hi, Jungwon. Uhm, my brother isn't feeling well right now."

"He's not your brother, Ni-Ki."

"Wow. You're rude."

He shut the door to his face.

"ARGH! NI-KI! I NEED TO TALK TO JAY!!!"

And a door opened, except not the one Jungwon wanted.

"Everything alright? What's going on?" Sunghoon said leaning over from his door. At least he had a shirt on right now, which meant that his aircon already got fixed and he wasn't... you know what? Jungwon doesn't want to think about that.

"I'm sorry," Jungwon said rolling his eyes. "I'll try to keep it down."

Sunghoon worriedly nodded and closed the door. He was well-aware that dealing with an angry person this early in the morning would only do more harm than good anyway.

Jungwon kept trying to enter using his keys, but there were a few extra locks placed there to stop him from going in. These were knew and he could only figure Jay was being petty for putting them since they started fighting.

After a few more desperate attempts he heard footsteps approaching from behind the door. Either it was Ni-Ki there to bother once more or Jay was finally about to talk to him face to face.

It was Jay.

"What?"

"Jay, can we please talk about this?"

"No."

"Jay!"

"Ugh, fine! Come in."

As soon as Jungwon stepped in he saw so many different things in the apartment, it didn't feel like it was only Jay's anymore. There was a nice bed where the couch used to be. A couple new chairs around his table. Some unwashed dishes in the sink, and a greasy pan still on the stove. And Ni-Ki watching TV wearing nothing but his boxers. This place was pretty different than he could remember.

"Jay, please! Just give me more time! He's about to cave in!"

"I am giving you more time. All the time you want. Just, don't bother to show up until you're ready to tell him."

"Jay, please! Why cannot you be more supportive?!"

"I am being supportive. I am giving you all my support. It is you who's making a scene in front of my apartment so loudly that my neighbor has to text me to open up the door."

"Jay... I just... he's about to come clean. I can feel it."

"Wait! Sunghoon is in his apartment? He told me he was going to do laundry!" Ni-Ki said. "He said he was going to do laundry all morning long."

"Jay, please... we need to talk calmly about this."

"No, you need to get him to talk so you and I can go back to being good with each other. You've become more rude ever since you started trying to get your brother to talk."

"That's not true..."

"It is true..."

"Shut up, Ni-Ki."

"Don't talk to my brother like that."

"He's not your brother!"

"You know what? You better leave, before your brother finds out you're dating his boyfriend's neighbor."

"Jay!"

Not a single touch upon Jungwon, just like always, Jay was trying hard to be as delicate as possible with him. Sure, he was angry, most definitely mad, but his love for the younger one was stronger than any other feeling. He just went ahead and opened the door signaling for him to leave.

Jungwon wasn't happy about this. Although lately he wasn't happy about anything either. So, he took a deep breath and started walking out, longing, for a second, to have Jay touch him as gentle as he usually did. Instead, without turning back, he felt the door getting slammed behind him.

So maybe he was pushing this too much. Just maybe he could step up and realize he was about to lose someone very important over some childish dispute. But, maybe, Jay could also try to understand him and why he was unable to do so in the first place.

"Oh, Jungwon-ah, there you are," his brother. He really didn't want to see him right now, this vulnerable as well. He turned around and saw him push Sunghoon's arm around his neck. Ugh, they were just so obvious anyway. "Do you want to join us? We're going out to eat."

"Not right now, laundry-hyung. Just go do whatever both of you do and leave me alone."

Jungwon left the building, feeling defeated and alone, not ready to face anyone, but at the same time wanting all of this to be over.

Back at the apartment, Jay tried to remain calm, wondering if maybe he was being too harsh on Jungwon. But also, really angry that this had overextended more than it should've. It was no longer a simple lie, other people had been involved as well. It had gotten out of hand.

Someone knocked at the door. Ni-Ki stood up, complaining, and went to check out. It was their neighbor and Jungwon's older brother.

"Oh, Sunghoon, what can we do for you?"

"Ah, we were just wondering if you two would like to join us to eat."

"Ah, now's not a good time. My brother has a terrible migraine."

"Ah, I see. Well, if you'd like we can bring you some food and meds."

"Ahh~ That's alright. Sunoo is already bringing some stuff to eat and something for Jay. Hyung. Jay-hyung."

"Alright then. Tell him we said hi."

"Will do. Bye~"

Ni-Ki was exhausted. He had been guarding the door all morning and Sunoo was still not bringing the food. He found a bag of butter cookies and started eating them since it was still better than nothing. He had heard Jay saying he was going to take a shower but didn't bother to hear him say they were out of shampoo. They weren't, though, he just tended to forget where he placed it.

He started browsing some dance videos on his phone wondering why people moved so good. He always wanted to dance but the circumstances he had grown with weren't meant for it. He started trying to copy some hand gsestures and movements still on his seat. He was enjoying himself until, once again, someone was knocking at the door. It was probably Sunoo bringing the food already.

Ni-Ki liked Sunoo. More than he had originally imagined he would. He was cute and very charming, with eyes hiding secrets but very inviting as well. Unfortunately, Sunoo didn't even like him as-

"W-Who are you?"

"I'm Jake, and you? Isn't this Jay's apartment? He didn't say he moved out."

"Ah... yes, this is his apartment... uh..."

"And who are you? Wait... why are you... you're wearing boxers... and... this isn't... Are you a criminal?! HELPPP!!!! SOMEONE HELP!!!! THIS GUY DOESN'T LIVE HERE!!! POLICEEE!!!! HEEELPWHRNDDNIDENSIENSNNFN!!!!!!"

"JAKE! JAKE! SHUSH! SHUSH! IT'S ME! SHUSHHH..."

Jay had heard the shouts and recognized his dumb best friend forgetting he was out of the loop. He had ran wearing nothing but his towel and grabbed Jake by neck, covering his mouth and shutting the door immediately. Ni-Ki just didn't know how to react, forgetting that other people in Jay's life didn't know who he was, obviously.

"JAY! JAY! WHY IS THIS GUY WEARING HIS BOXERS HERE! WHERE'S JUNGWON?!!"

He paused.

"Wait... ARE YOU CHEATING ON JUNGW-"

He got smacked.

It's not his fault he didn't know the whole plan to begin with. He had been busy and this was supposed to be a secret after all. But now he was trembling and in pain and still without an answer on what was going on.

"Ouch, why did you hit me?"

"Because you're talking too much."

"You always hit me because I talk too much."

"Then stop talking too much."

"Okay..."

So, they explained the whole situation to Jake. He was very attentive and made minimal questions, just like Jay instructed him to. If anything, he was glad Jake was his best friend because he was very reliable in these type of situations.

"So you're not cheating on Jungwon?"

He got smacked.

Still, part of him had a hard time processing all this information in such little time, but he was more than ready to commit to the idea. Yeah, he pull it off. The awesome best friend that travelled all around the world looking for adventure and so happened to be the favorite person of Jay and Riki who was friends with Jungwon. Yeah. He was ready for this.

"No, Jake. That's not... never mind."

Then the door suddenly opened on its own and the super brave and fearless adventurer best friend extraordinaire Jake yeeped and hid behind the couch.

He heard a loud sigh and, surprisingly, he also heard an eye roll. Sunoo?

"Ugh, him as well? You two just keep dragging everyone into this mess don't you?"

"S-Sunoo?" Jake lifted his head from behind the couch. At least he recognized a familiar voice in this hostile environment. "You're here as well? Did you put on some weight?"

He got smacked. By Ni-Ki and Sunoo.

"Ouch!!! Why do you guys hate me so much?!"

"Why is he here?"

"That's a good question. Why are you here, Jake?"

Jake pouted and moved towards the kitchen counter where he would be safe enough to spy on the bags that Sunoo had brought.

"What? Can't I visit my best friend in the whole world every once in a whi- IS THIS A PREGNANCY TEST?!"

He got smacked.

"It's a thermometer you idiot. It's to see if Jay has a fever or not."

"I'm starting to feel unwelcome here."

"Good. Then leave," Sunoo said. "Jay, tell the help to call for some food. I didn't know what you were craving nor did I care, so I bought you ramen in a cup. Enjoy.”

“What? Who’s the help?” Jake asked.

“I’m the help,” Ni-Ki said raising his hand and looking at deliveries that Jay might like. At first it kind of hurt to be referred that way, but after some biased consideration, it started to feel like Sunoo had given him a cute pet name. The ‘help’. He was helpful and Sunoo saw it.

“But I thought you were Jay’s brother.”

“Fake brother. Remember, this is all a lie, anyway. Besides, you should see how Jungwon reacts when Riki is called Jay’s brother. He gets furious.” Sunoo opened a bag of cookies and sat next to Ni-Ki to look over what he was going to order. Maybe he’d want something as well. “Speaking of which. Jay, you’ve been awfully quiet. Is something wrong?”

“Jungwon came in this morning and they had a fight. Again.”

“Again? Ugh, I really don’t understand him. He should just come clean with Heeseungie-hyung and get this over with. He’s an angel, I swear.”

“It’s nothing. It’s just... I’m not used to fighting him like this.”

“Well, he’s been behaving like a jerk lately,” Sunoo said grabbing Ni-Ki’s phone to pick something for himself as well. Ni-Ki tried to grab his phone back, but Sunoo smacked his hand away. “Ugh, no. I don’t want pizza. Jake, did I really put on some weight?”

“No, you didn’t,” Ni-Ki replied. Simultaneously, Jake was nodding with a smile and a bread bun in his mouth. Sunoo just rolled his eyes and threw the phone back at Ni-Ki.

“Aww, you’re actually taking care of Jay now. Does this mean you guys are going to get back toget-“

He got thrown a remote control, a shoe, a pillow and Sunoo’s keys.

“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! God... if you guys don’t want me here just tell me and I’ll leave.”

“We don’t want you here.”

“Leave.”

“Okay, I’m starting to see the resemblence. He really does sound like your brother, Jay.”

Ni-Ki blushed a little bit.

“Speaking of... Sunoo, since when do you have keys to Jay’s apartment?” Jake asked.

“Riki gave them to me. When we first met he said that I look too cute to be locked out of any door. So he gave me his copy.”

“That’s so crazy! Who would be crazy enough to give their keys to some stranger they barely met?”

Jay avoided Ni-Ki’s taunt. The smug look on his face said everything. “I told you so.”

“Shut up.”

“You shut up.”

“You’re so annoying...”

They continued to bicker for a while. Jake got smacked a couple more times for stuff he shouldn’t have said. Sunoo complained about a few more things he had roaming around his mind for a while. Jake started mocking the idea that Sunoo and Riki were a fake couple now. They couldn’t help but share some laughs together. That is, until they felt a presence outside the door.

It couldn’t have been Jungwon, since he was in classes already according to Sunoo and Jay’s memory on his schedule. And all four of them were already there, so someone else was trying to break into Jay’s apartment.

The four of them stood up.

Jay put an arm to protect Sunoo. Jake started dialing the police in case of a burglar. Ni-Ki grabbed a flower vase closest to him and was awaiting to see the unidentified person step in through the door to launch at him.

The door knob kept turning, and keys kept rustling from outside. The hearts of the four boys racing, scared of the unknown situation.

And then, the door finally opened.

“What the hell is going on here?!”

“D-Dad...?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew... so this took a while to finish. Sorry about all this, but I finally settled on which route I want to take this story to and all of it finally clicked. So, it definitely is longer than I had originally planned, but I could finally use the one phrase that began this whole AU:  
> "Weird, Sunghoon told me he was doing laundry today."  
> Jungwon looks at his brother, "anyways, laundry-hyung, we're busy right now."
> 
> Just a reminder [ THAT THIS ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EsZfjwmXEAIx-Rn?format=jpg&name=medium) is my aesthetic for Sunki.  
> Also omg Rhythm Hive is so annoying right now! :C
> 
> @jungwonuwu Yay, we're back to cliffhangers :P And we finally have the mini-gang here. And SungSeung will have their own mini-arc without obstructing the other two, don't worry. But I'm so glad to finally have Sunoo and Jake in the mix. And thank you for staying for the JayKi because they're so cute oml :'( They really won't let JW say they're not brothers hehehe the upcoming chapters will be intense so brace yourself! Thank you for your constant support! 
> 
> @velociace Thank you for supporting my JayKi fake-bros :') And JayWon are always cute, even when they bicker. And Sunoo and Sunghoon chaotic sibling energy is going to be sooo much fun to write. They just bicker so much irl lol Thank you so much for your support! Hope you liked this chapter as well!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of homophobia and physical abuse.

Getting caught doing something you thought was right to you can be incredibly incriminating. You might end up hating yourself for the rest of your life for it. There wasn't anything wrong in the first place, but to someone else there was. And now, now you have to live with the consequences. Just because someone else was bothered by it.

"Jay? What's going on?"

"D-Dad... I can explain..."

"Can you now?"

"Uncle Park~!"

"Uncle!!!"

Sunoo and Jake hurried to hug the tall man standing at the door. Ni-Ki was left behind confused and Jay ignored all of this and threw himself on Ni-Ki's bed.

"Aww, Sunoo-yah! Jakey~! Long time no see."

"Uncle! Did you bring gifts?"

He got smacked. By Sunoo. Mr. Park just laughed.

"Wait, why is there a bed in the middle of the living room? Oh!" He stepped closer to Ni-Ki and rustled his hair. "And who might you be, son?"

"He's Riki. Or Ni-Ki. His full name is Nishimura Riki, so just call him what you want."

"Uhm, h-hello, sir." Ni-Ki bowed to greet the man, embarrassed and afraid of what could happen. "My name is Nishimura Riki, please take care of me."

"Such good manners, son. Hope some of them can rub on these three rascals."

"T-Thank you, s-sir."

Mr. Park went over to the bed and sat on it, leaving the bags he brought unattended for Sunoo and Jake to inspect. Ni-Ki waited a while before he felt like he could sit down.

"You've got a bed in your living room, Jay."

"I've noticed, dad."

"It's very comfortable if I may say."

"Well, don't get too attached to it. It's only temporary," Jay said.

"What? Why?" His father whined.

"Because the one using it has to move out sooner or later," Sunoo said, mouth full of food that didn't belong or neither was destined for him.

"What? No! Because we're changing the matress 9for a firmer base. Ni-Ki, Sunoo and I were jumping on it last week and I forgot to buy memory foam, so now there's a huge part that sinks and is starting to hurt on Ni-Ki's back."

"He literally knows me since we were children and saw a dog chewing my leg like a toy and did nothing but god forbid the servant has an ouchie on his back," Sunoo said and rolled his eyes. He found a box of wings ready to be fried so he got the air frier ready because he was dead hungry.

"Tell me about it! I'm his best friend and when I broke my leg he told me to walk it off and stop being a crybaby," Jake said starting to get depressed.

"Well, I have to agree that you do cry an awful lot."

"I used to. Past tense. The new Jakey doesn't cry about anything."

Ni-Ki looked at his right and saw Sunoo and Jake talking and laughing together. Turned to his left and saw Jay and his dad talking on his bed. For tymhe first time in a long time he felt alone. Like he really didn't belong there for some reason. He felt awkward, a stranger, an impostor among a family. He grabbed his keys, the newer set, and announced he was going to buy some drinks nearby for everyone and left.

Mr. Park looked at Jay's reaction and studied it. There was a certain sadness in his eyes, his lips hidden and nose twitching, his fingers trembling and his breathing heavy. Jay looked to the side and grabbed his phone, which was suddenly snatched by his own dad.

"Who is he and where's Jungwon, son?"

"He's a frien-"

"No. Better yet. Jakey? You tell me. Who is that boy and where is my son's boyfriend?"

Jake gulped, being caught offguard and almost choking on a few Skittles he confused for M&M's. He turned to look at Jay, asking permission to share the story, amd got elbowed by Sunoo signaling to just tell it.

"Uhm... well, to be honest, I just met him today, so I just know the story from what they told me."

"I'm listening~"

"Uhm, well, apparently Jay and Jungwon got into a big fight because his brother is sleeping with the neighbor. Not his neighbor, our neighbor. Wait, no! Uhm, Jay and Riki's neighbor. I mean Ni-Ki! I MEAN JAY'S NEIGHBOR. Sunoo just kill me."

"Are you kidding? Jay called dibs on beheading you ages ago."

"Go on, Jakey," Mr. Park said.

"Yes... go on, Jakey..." Jay threatened.

Jake gulped again, silently praying the afterlife had gym equipment. "So, uhm, I didn't understand much because they were hitting me all morning. But, I think they kinda broke up without breaking up-"

"We didn't break up."

"Because when I got here Riki opened up the door and he was in his underwear and I thought he was a robber or a psychopath, or worse, Jay's lover."

"Lover?"

"Just, ignore him, dad."

"I did not raise you like this, Jay."

"Jake, just get to the point for crying out loud."

"But, he wasn't. And isn't. He is the guy that delivered them sushi-"

"Curry."

"Corgi? Wait! You have a dog?"

"Jake, I swear to go-"

"Ah! Curry! Yes, curry! So, he was here when Jungwon's brother saw him and Jay making out, so, I didn't really understand but he is pretending to be Jungwon's friend and Jay's brother to make it easier to digest. And Sunoo texted me a bit ago that he thinks Jay is living his fantasy of being an older brother through Riki and to just play along because he seems like a good and cute boy and to not tell Jay or he'll kill... us... both. Oh, crap."

He got smacked. He didn't complain this time because he knew he deserved it. It did hurt, though. A lot. But for Mr. Park this was amusing and couldn't stop laughing.

"You know, son, I came here because Mr. Bang, your landlord, called me saying someone had moved in. And I thought it was about time that Jungwon moved in with you. But then he said it wasn't him so I came over to inspect what was going on. It still doesn't make any sense, but we'll play along or you'll kill your friends. Hahaha!"

Jay was embarrassed. Covering his head with a pillow and loudly screaming into it. Part of him knew they were probably right and there was no point in trying to deny it. He knew already he liked the idea of Riki being his younger brother more than he should. He just hoped Riki didn't notice it or found it weird. Which it totally was.

After some minutes, Riki returned with a few bags and waving goodbye ay someone.

"Ah, Sunoo, your brother says hi and that you don't forget to take your medicine and vitamins."

"Ah, almost forgot. Thank you, Riki." Riki avoided his eyes and blushed as this was one of the few times he had heard Sunoo talk softly to him. He liked it.

"Ah, that's right! Dad! Did you know Sunoo has an older brother?"

Mr. Park looked at his son and then turned to look at Sunoo. Kim Sunoo, the child he has known since he was born, he knew a thing or two, but had promised to keep it a secret. He stared at Sunoo's eyes, concerned to know if he had permission to share the story. With a simple nod and a gentle smile, Sunoo replied. Mr. Park took a deep breath, placed his hand on his son's hair and kissed his forehead.

"Yes, I've known about Sunghoon."

"Whoa! He even knows his name, that's creepy!"

"Relax, Jakey. In fact, come, gather around. I want to tell you boys a story. You too, Riki. Don't be shy. This is your bed, after all, son. Come."

_Park Sunghoon and Park Sungwoo were brothers. Brothers who never really liked each other. Whereas one was rough, sporty and studious; the other was kindhearted, crafty and expressive. Sunghoon wae more technical and obedient; Sungwoo was more creative and free willed._

_Sunghoon used to bully Sungwoo a lot, because he was different. But he would just call him names and take his toys. But it got worse when Hoon found Woo playing with two of his toys. They were both male superheroes and he was making them kiss each other. Hoon, angry at this, went running to tell their dad._

_Park Sungjoon had many valuable qualities, but being a good father wasn't one of them. As soon as he heard what had happened, he went over to Woo and slapped his face. More than once. Hoon had seen all this and learned something no kid should learn._

_He thought it was okay to hit his brother because his dad did it. So, whenever those two were left alone, they would turn to fists and kicks. This only worsened Sungjoon and Kim Sunyi's already unstable marriage, leading them to finally get divorced. Hoon stayed with his dad, and Woo stayed with his mom._

Jay looked over to his friend. He usually made fun of seeing him cry, because he was loud and whiny. But this time, he just saw him looking down, trying to resist the urge to shed a single tear or make the slightest noise. Jay stood up, walked over him and hugged him. Sunoo turned his head and took a deep breath, accepting the hug but also trying to push him away. Riki patted his back and Jake held his hand.

"I mean... he used to be like that when we were children, but I think he's changed," Sunoo said. "A couple years ago he came to me and apologized. I knew he was being sincere because he threw himself to the ground and begged, and you know I like that." He silently laughed. "But, if I'm being serious, part of me wants to be close to him. But the other part hates him so much because he looks just like dad. Sometimes he even says or does things that remind me of when we were kids and URGH! I just... I don't know. Maybe I'm being a coward because I'm afraid of him. I don't know."

Sunoo usually liked being the center of attention, but for once, this time, he wasn't really enjoying how mushy his friends were behaving. He tried so hard to not let the walls he had build for years fall apart so easily.

Then, suddenly, Jake's stomach started to growl. Everyone turned their heads to look at him and he had guilt written all over his face and scared that he would get hit for ruining the moment. "S-Sorry..."

The boys laughed and Mr. Park stood up. "Alright boys, get ready. I'm taking all of you to lunch."

Jake stood up, triumphantly, but still got smacked by Jay once they crossed paths. He went over to the bathroom. Jay went to his room to change clothes and find something nice for his brother. Sunoo stayed sitting down messaging his brother that he had didn't need him to drive him anywhere today, because he was going out to lunch with his friends.

"You're not a coward, y'know?"

Sunoo turned to look at Riki who was still sitting down next to him.

"You're the bravest person I know, Sungwoo. I'm proud to have met you and be able to call you my frie- I'm just glad to have met you."

"You can call me your friend, Riki. Thank you."

"Alright boys! I'm starving so hurry up!" Mr. Park interrupted. "You too, Riki. You're coming with us so go get changed."

"You don't have to, sir. I can just ord-"

"Now, now, what kind of father would I be if I left my son behind? They already told me everything, don't worry. Also, you can ask Jay. That little punk knows I'm an excellent dad."

"I HEARD THAT, DAD!"

"WELL, BE THANKFUL I WAS ALWAYS THERE. MOST OF MY FRIENDS WOULDN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE THEIR OWN KIDS EVEN IF THEY HAD NAME TAGS."

"URGH! YOU ALWAYS SAY THAT!"

"BECAUSE IT'S TRUE, PUNK!" Mr. Park then turned to Riki. "Go. Get. Changed. I'm starving."

"O-Okay, sir. Thank you very much," Riki bowed completely to the man and went over to Jay's to find something nice to wear.

Meanwhile, Sunoo looked at Riki leaving, wondering why part of him felt like he was missing his touch, and the other part of him wondering why, for a few seconds, his chest felt like it was shivering inside, like a looming unknown sensation of happiness and comfort he hadn't ever felt before. He wondered, what exactly was going on and why Mr. Park looked at him with a funny tauntful smile. He wondered...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'm so sorry this took so long to write. I've been busy with work all this past week, but by the end of this week everything must be calming down so hopefully I'll have time to write some more.  
> Second of all, bet y'all didn't see that coming. I'm just glad Sunghoon is trying now. I want to believe he's changed for the better. And I adore Jay's dad. He's so soft to everyone. I-  
> Third of all, I'M OBSESSED WITH EN-/TXT PLAYGROUND OMFG THIS PAST WEEK THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH CONTENT FOR LITERALLY EVERYTHING AND RHYTHM HIVE I'M A BIT OBSESSED WITH THE GAME AND STILL NO XR CARDS DAMN.
> 
> @jungwonuwu: As always, thank you so much for reading this! Even though we didn't get any Jungwon this chapter, I wanted to include how comfortable Jay's dad is with their relationship. And this time we got Jay bickering with his dad. Like father, like sons. :P Also, I swear, Jake needs to wear an armor around his friends, must have so many bruises by now. And Sunoo O.O Is Sunki starting to sail?? idkidk Thank you so much for the support you give me, and I'll see you in the next chapter. <3 (Also, you read so fast! Not that I'm complaining, but so amazing! Thank you, really!) <3


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